Smoke and Mirrors
by Black-Angel-001
Summary: Oneshot, my take on how it ends with Wo Fat.  It's over, finally. Questions still have to be answered, and purposes have to be reconsidered, but it's over.


**Smoke and Mirrors**

**Black-Angel-001: for my mom, whose random comment during S2E1 turned into a three hour debate/discussion which turned into this, at her badgering and looks.**

**Warnings: Spoilers! Yep, spoilers for seasons 1 and 2! Read at your own risk!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing because what I want to own can't be because it's illegal and lets face it...I don't think Alex or Scott would appreciate being held in my basement.**

**Smoke and Mirrors**

There comes a time when a man has to re invente himself, somehow, someway. Wether it's changing one habit or a whole lifestyle is up to the individual. But sometimes, a man, through necessity, re-inventes himself as a completely different person. Personality, likes, dislikes, habits, reactions. Everything from fashion style to breakfast preference is changed, because it has to fit with who you're becoming.

Eventually, you really start to believe you're that person you're pretending to be. You're shocked when old expressions, feelings, or anything else pops up because you're so immersed into the role. You forget your old self, your old life. But some nights, the ones where the darkness is deep and absolute, and you're alone with nothing to do but think, you remember. You remember your family, loved ones, past enjoyments and pleasures and _God_ but you want it again. You think about everything you've done under this name you're assuming using your hands. Sometimes you throw up in disgust, sometimes you curl up and cry, sometimes both. Sometimes when the night is especially dark and lonely, when remembering hits especially hard, you sit quietly, calmly, just wondering when it will end, about ending it yourself.

And then it does end.

It isn't sudden-an operation this size can't allow for that. There's a transition that lasts over a series of weeks, of meetings and rendevous, of firefights and explosions. Then the moment comes and you can take a breath as yourself for the first time in _ages, lifetimes, forever_. It's exilerating. It's amazing. It's liberating.

It's scary as hell.

* * *

><p>Living as a sadistic, cut throat, and overall heartless criminal mastermind for the better part of nearly six years...well, it sucked, to be honest. Even with the prep one year before actually going under, the first time he sanction the death of a man made him physically ill. What really made him sick was how easy it got.<p>

But no more.

He spent a few days on the downlow, just being. Trying to find his equilibrium and his own person. After four days, he felt more like himself than the other, but it was still a work in progress. Maybe it always would be. He would have taken longer, but word reached him of an arresst and he flew to Hawaii filled with nervous energy and trepidation. He hadn't wanted to do this so soon, but he couldn't leave her, not after she stuck by him through everything.

From the airport it was straight to the palace, to 5-0 headquarters.

_From the frying pan into the fire_, as the saying went.

His reception was nothing less that what was expected. After the initial shock, guns were drawn and aimed, no doubt at his vital 'instant deat' areas. In response, he merely raised both hands, palms facing them.

"Would it help if I said I was unarmed and alone," he asked, somewhat dryly.

"No, because we wouldn't believe you anyway," Detective Williams said tightly.

He focused on Steve McGarrett, who was staring at him with that predatory expression he was was sure the man had perfected in the SEALs. The look was tempered with a wariness, though, an expectation of a trap.

"What the hell are you playing at Wo Fat," McGarrett ground out.

"I'm not playing at anything," he replied. Steve's face flickered in a frown as he took in details: the accent of a Chinese foreigner was gone, as was the suit. In their place was a California speech pattern with a slight drawl that Steve remembered hearing in transplants to the Virginia area. Jeans and a regular black tee replaced the impeccably tailored and pressed suits he'd associated with Wo Fat. The only similarity the man in front of them had with the man Steve remembered was the face. But even that was different. His expression, one of quiet amusement at Steve's actions, was a familiar one; he'd seen it often enough. However, the amusement wasn't a smug 'Watching you struggel and fail is funny' sort of thing. It was a 'I figured you'd do this, what else do you have?' type of amusement.

"Yeah, not buying that either," Danny said, snapping Steve back to the present.

What happened next was cliche in that movie kind of way. Chin and Kono, who had no idea 5-0's number on enemy was in their headquarters, came in with Jenna in handcuffs. When Chin became aware of what was going on, he moved in front of the women and drew his handgun all at the same time.

Jenna's eyes widened as she looked at the scene. Wo Fat's eyes met hers and they shared a look. She searched his expression, looking for something, an answer to a question. It took barely a minute, but she found it. Jenna closed her eyes and sighed in relief, a small smile playing on her lips.

She opened them. "Really, Chase? Really?"

The officers shared a brief confused look with each other while Wo Fat (Chase?) nodded and smiled. Steve was taken aback by how real and hoenst that smile was.

"Really Jenna. It's done."

"Yeah, you're right about that," snapped out Steve.

While Danny covered him, Steve went forward, gun still aimed unerringly, until he was close enough to put cuffs on Wo Fat. Jenna protested and began moving forward, stopped only by Kono holding her arm.

"It's alright, don't worry."

Steve was confused. First Wo Fat showed up with no apparent plan other than surrender, no weapon, he wasn't acting like the typical criminal mastermind Steve was used to and Jenna had a connection beyond what had originally been assumed and he was answering to an entirely different name.

Come on, _Chase_?

Handcuffed and unresisting, Steve began leading Wo Fat to 5-0's own interrigation room. Once attached to the single chair, the man who had caused so much grief to so many, to Steve, watched the two unlikely partners calmly and without any real concern.

The three men were silent, Steve torn between standing and glaring or pacing and glaring. Danny stayed neared his partner, ready to jump in and try to pull him off their captive. Not that Danny really wanted to stop him, or thought he could, but he had to try if nothing else.

"Okay," Steve finally said. "Alright, let's start with this. Why did you just waltz in here the way you did? Huh? Explain that to me."

Wo Fat sighed and shifted a bit. "First, please call me Chase or Wong."

"We'll call you anything we want. Bastard. Asshole. Killer works, don't you think," Danny snarked to Steve. His partner didn't reply, just stared with his arms crossed, waiting.

"Because you had Jenna and she didn't know," Wo Fat, Chase, whoever he was, replied to Steve's question.

"Didn't know what," was the instant comeback.

"That this was over." Before either man could even think of a reply to that, he went on. "I'll explain, then you can call Langely to confirm. After that, you'll never hear about it again."

With that, he began his story.

* * *

><p>Chase Wong had been with the CIA most of his adult life. Recruited for his impressive service record in the Army, his talent in acting (it had been his major for most of college, until he'd gone in the military), his intelligence, and his contacts in the Chinese community of Los Angeles that went farther than he thought, he became a favorite for undercover assignments. They eventually gave him operations that went deeper and lasted longer and longer. Then six years ago, he started into something that went byeond anything he'd ever done in his career.<p>

**SIX YEARS AGO; LANGLEY, VIRGINIA**

All of the CIA was a buzz, excited. A big op had gone down in China, and several major players had been killed. Not many were sad over the loss of lives, but some higher ups had been disturbed over the loss of a few key people. In particular, one Yakuza memeber who was rising through the rands quickly (and through questionable, eyebrow raising means). There had been interest in his rise and actions, which went far beyond anything the Japanese or Chinese mob deined to try, coupled with his far reach and standing in many different societies and governments which gave him many contacts. Which gave the CIA many avenues to many different enemies and persons of interests, some already established, many others in tentative beginnings.

The death of that man, Wo Fat, was at best an inconvenience, at worst a huge FUBAR. Either way, they were determined to do damage control and fix it somehow.

In the next few days, amid meetings and planning sessions, the agency was buzzing again. It was about an op, but not one that had happened. In fact, no one was sure if the op would even get off the ground but rumors and speculation flew.

Chase had never really paid attention to any of that-it was sometimes amusing but overall not very relevant unless confirmed. So Chase ignored them and went about his business; specifically, his business with his fiancee. The thought of her made him smile and think of the future, which made his smile widen. He nodded to other agents as he walked down the hallway. Chase was aimiable to pretty much everyone, even his enemies (it kept them on their toes, waiting for a blow) and kept mostly to himself. Sure there was his 'group' that he preffered, people he preffered on his team, but Chase could work with just about anyone.

That and the fact he was damn good at his job made him top pick for choice assignments.

But Chase wasn't thinking about any of that. At the moment all Chase was thinking about was sitting in the analyst bullpen, tapping on a keyboard and reading reports, glasses slipping down the bridge of her nose. She was completely absorbed in her work. He stood watching her for a few minutes, hushing anyone who would've disturbed her. She remained focused, oblivioius to everything except her work.

"Have I ever told you how sexy you are with glasses," he asked her.

Agent Jenna Kaye started, looking up into the smiling, handsome face.

"Chase," she lightly scolded for scaring her. Then what he said caught up to her and she blushed. She removed the glasses and smiled. "What brings you here," she stammered a little, still pink.

"Lunch," he replied. "Got time to spare?"

Jenna began locking away documents, typing some commands in the computer swiftly. "Yeah, let me just," she trailed off then beamed up at him. "Alright, let's go."

The pair walked closely together, arms brushing as they moved. They didn't show affection at work beyond words and looks-which was tolerated because they worked in two entirely different departments. They ate in the cafeteria, laughing and playfully arguing about their wedding, enjoying the moment. Chase walked Jenna back to her desk, promised ot see her later, and went to his own office. Jenna called later to tell him she would be late, not to wait, and no she couldn't talk about it, not that he'd ever ask. Chase merely accepted it; it happened, he had made similiar phone calls before.

He didn't see Jenna again until the next morning, when he was immediatlly pulled into a conferance room filled with top officials and senior agents.

"Agent Wong, I'm sure you are aware of what happened a week ago in Beijing," one of the officials said.

"Yessir. It was a blessing and a curse to the agency, from what I understand," said Chase, cooly.

"That's what we thought at first," said a woman. Chase didn't know her name or who she was. "It's actually a double blessing."

The screen at the front of the room lit up with a picture of a man Chase was startled to see looked similiar to himself.

"His name was Wo Fat. According to our intel, nothing we've established so far has been jepordized by his death."

Chase didn't ask what they'd done. If this progressed the way he was figuring, he might find out anyway.

"In fact," the woman said, leaning forward, "his death has presented a remarkable opportunity." She waved to the picture still on screen. "I'm sure you've noticed that you and Fat look alike."

"Yes, ma'am, I did." He knew before anyone said it. He was going under as this man.

Two hours later, he started learning and becoming Wo Fat.

It took a year. Not to learn the people, the different interactions he would need with each of them. He learned the walk, the accent, the minute gestures and facial expressions. He learned the past and the present, all of which he knew and did flawlessly within months. But Wo Fat had been taken out in an explosion, was believed dead. They had a body, or what was left of one, that they thought was Wo Fat. It had to be set up carefully, cover stories had to be created, made believable, and pass a scrutinized test.

It was put out that Wo Fat had survived, that it was a double who'd been killed. Wo Fat had been there, though, and had not escaped unscathed. In fact, he'd had plastic surgery to fix any damage caused by the blast, hence the different facial features. To ensure his safety, he'd stayed quiet, let the fuss die down, and made his return slowly, through small works designed to find his enemies.

It took time, but it worked.

Chase Wong went from being a CIA agent, to being Wo Fat, Yakuza member and killer.

* * *

><p>Steve and Danny were speechless. Utterly and totally speechless and stunned. The story seemed too fantastic to be believed, too far fetched to be real. And yet...and yet Steve knew that fantastic and far fetched was the CIA's main setting.<p>

"Woah, woah, woah, back up. Hold on and explain this to us," Danny said. "The Yakuza just took you at your word? Didn't they try to verify it?"

"They took fingerprints, DNA, and gave me a job to prove it. The techs had it rigged so whenever my prints or anything else was put through any database or system it would come back as Wo Fat," explained Chase.

"Why did you tell Hesse to kill my father," asked Steve, voice hard. It was the question burning at the front of his mind.

"Quite a few reasons. But please believe I never wanted it to come to that." Steve continued to stare. "Your father was an amazing cop-he would've been a good agent if he'd wanted. However, he was too good at his job. He knew that there was increased numbers of cops on the Yakuza payroll at HPD. He also knew Jameson was in it somehow, and put himself in too. He had something on Jameson, something that scared her badly enough to allow it. All three of us sat down and worked out an arrangment.

"To be honest, I was going to leave him alone. Let him make some inside arressts, lead him astray."

Steve was about to demand he continue when Chase chuckled, shook his head, and smiled up at Steve.

"I didn't realize until later, until it was almost too late. The entire reason he inserted himself into mob business was to investigate his wife's murder. He wanted leads and information on it. Of course, he got more than he bargained for."

"That still doesn't tell me why," Steve growled, frustrated.

"Because he nearly found out and blew everything to hell," was the simple reply.

Steve felt his eyes go wide, his mouth open slightly in shock. "What?"

"If he'd found out I wasn't really Wo Fat, the entire operation was over."

"He would've kept your secret. He could've helped you," yelled Steve. He knew better though, and Chase's look said he knew it too.

"He would've tried," countered the agent. "God knows Jack McGarrett would've done his level best. But what about when he slipped up, left some kind of trail? It wasn't if, it was when; Jack wasn't trained for the kind of thing he'd gotten into. They would've found something that led to me, probably by torturing him for the info. Then him, myself, and dozens upon dozens of people would be dead."

"Sacrifice one for the good of all," sneered Danny.

Agent Wong levelled him with a stare of his own.

"In multiple joint ops by the CIA, FBI and DOD, thanks to the information gained by my being undercover and the subsuquent networks that resulted, terrorist plots were prevented in 34 countries, the US included. In joint ops with the CIA, DEA, FBI, and local police agencies, illegal drugs, human trafficking, and illegal weapons were confinscated before they could be sold and distributed, in states such as California, Texas, New York, and New Jersey.

"In fact, as a result of one such bust in your own home state, a major mob boss was also arressted."

Danny's lips pinched together in a thin line, arms crossed over his chest. He had heard about all of that; one of his buddies from Newark had actually called to tell him about the mobster.

Chase nodded. "So you see, Detective, none of that would've happened as quickly as it did, or at all, if Jack McGarrett had found me out." His attention returned to Steve. "I had Jameson try and keep you in Hawaii, so I could keep an eye on you. Despite occassionally sharing intel and working together, the Navy doesn't approve of revealing where any of it's SEALs are."

Steve nodded. "So 5-0 was created to give me a reason to stay, so I could go after Hesse."

"Correct," Chase tilted his head. "Hesse was overzealous and getting harder to control. I actually wouldn't have minded if you'd killed him."

"You had Steve's dad killed because he was getting too close, set Steve up to stay where you could see him," Danny said, one hand waving to the side with each fact, "and what, then forgot about it for a while?"

Chase looked irritated. "I had other things to do than watch you four."

"Such as," prompted the detective.

Their captive didn't reply, but neither cop expected him to.

"Why did you kidnap Mary," asked Steve, voice back to being hard as steel.

"Because when she found the evidence Jack had is when I found out about it. Since I didn't know exactly what it was, I had to take the appropriate precautions."

"Would you have killed her too?" Steve already knew the answer to that, too, but still flinched slightly when Wong answered.

"Yes."

"Did you tell Hesse to put a bomb on Chin," Danny asked. That memory still came back to bite him, moreso when Kono had been suspended.

Wong looked disgusted and shook his head. "No, I told him to get the hell out of dodge. LIke I said, he was getting harder to control."

Danny's jaw clenched. "Why kill Jameson and set Steve up? Why any of that?"

"Jameson actually started those chains of events when she had Laura killed, in a similar way to your mother, no less." He rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with the move. "If anything was going to make you suspicious it was that. Anyway, when she found out Laura was sending you items from the Champ box, Jameson thought she was helping by killing her. Then she set Steve up for the murder, still thinking she was being helpful." The disdain was clear in his voice and on his face. "Then you broke in and nearly made an even bigger mess by almost getting her arressted. She would've cracked, and again the op was just about ruined."

"Sorry to be such an inconvenience," Danny said irritably while Steve stood stock still.

Chase shrugged. "I'd practically come to expect the headache by then. I killed Jameson to protect myself. Steve and Kono were in jail, Chin was reinstated by HPD but his hands were tied, and you were out of a job. I didn't exactly plan for that, or orchestrate it to happen, but it did and gave me some breathing room for a time."

"And Steve getting shanked, was that 'unplanned'?"

"It was. I knew there was a possibility of something happening, but I figured the corrections officers and cops wouldn't be total morons to let the two anywhere near each other."

"And you weren't worried about my escape jepordizing your plans?" That didn't seem likely to Steve, not after everything else the man had done.

"Worried? No. Concerned? Yes, but only slightly. I knew even HPD wasn't that stupid when it came to the glaring lack of solid evidence, and you might be aquitted eventually. The tape that was found, though, was another story. At least until I knew for sure what id did or didn't have."

"How did you," Steve stopped himself, shifting slightly on his feet with an 'of course' expression. "Jenna."

Wong nodded. "Jenna kept me informed of nearly everything."

"So where does Jenna fall into this," Danny wanted to know. "She told Steve Wo Fat killed her fiancee."

"In a twisted ironic way, that was true. When we intially set everything up, we decided to have a few agents in place, ones no one would expec, like analysts, ready to be activated when needed. They could've been activated for any reason, to set up trust with people trying to take me down, gather information, act as my 'mole' in the CIA. Every agent had multiple cover stories for each role, to use at their discretion. Jenna came up with her fiancee dieing in a raid against Wo Fat, and she ended up being just about everything needed."

"So Jenna shows up here to get everything Steve has on Wo Fat, ends up gaining his trust with a sob story, and bam," Danny snapped his fingers on the word, "instant source of information on 5-0."

"Partly. Mostly I wanted her to figure out what and how much you knew, how close you were getting, warn me if my other networks failed. Like when you raided one of my safehouses."

Steve felt his hand clench into a fist, remembering Danny's exposure to Sarin. It may have been indirectly, but it still happened because of that man.

"And before you ask," Chase said, "I killed Hesse mainly because his leash had finally broken. Jenna told me you were going to question him, and just to spite me and others he would've told everything he knew, even made something up, just for the sheer enjoyment of it."

There was some silence. Then, "How did you find out about Jenna?"

"Phone records that didn't make sense, firstly. Then we found the survelliance of you two in a car leaving the prison."

"Hm," was all he had to say to that. He rattled his cuffed hands. "Now are you going to undo this so Jenna and I can go?"

Danny snorted. "And what makes you think we're just going to let you waltz out of here?"

"You aren't going to 'let' anything happen. You'll be forced into it by powers that go way over your heads and you'll do it because you don't have a choice."

With that, each man fell into his own thoughts, contemplating his next move. During the next fifeteen minutes, no one said anything, no one hardly moved. Steve didn't want to leave because he thought his prisoner would disappear. Danny didn't want to leave because he thought Steve might kill the guy. Chase didn't leave because he simply couldn't at the moment.

And so they waited, and thought.

The heavy metal door opened and Chin stepped in, looking pissed.

"Got a call from Langley," he said tonelessly. "The said we are to release agents Kaye and Wong immediatly and to turn over anything we have related to Wo Fat."

Chase didn't gloat, didn't even give them an 'I told you so' look (probably because he knew he'd get a black eye for it). Instead, he wisely remained quiet as he was uncuffed and led from the room. He met Jenna in what she'd described as the 'war room' and they held each other tightly, felling the eyes and emotions boring into them. When they pulled back, Chase looked at Steve.

"I'd offer to let you sock me, but," he trailed off.

"I wouldn't stop at one," Steve confirmed with a nod.

"I'm sorry for the grief and pain you, all of you, went through. I can't change it, and I wouldn't even if I could. I'm still sorry."

He shared another look with Jenna then walked away.

"I'm sorry too," she said softly, no longer stumbling with words. "I wouldn't change it either, though." She started to follow her fiancee, but paused and turned back.

"It won't make up for it, or make anything better or right, but," she straightened her shoulders, eyes filled with unshed tears stubbornly kept at bay. "But, he has to live with everything he's done as Wo Fat, for the rest of his life. Chase took the mission willingly, but everyone he's killed, or had killed, or ordered done, will haunt him forever. There's no forgetting. So don't think he's walking away unscarred or unpunished, because he's not."

Her piece said, Jenna practically ran down the hallway and out of the palace.

It was still a shock, still taking time to process. After years on Steve's part of hating and seeking revenge, the rug had been pulled out from under him. The rest of the team wasn't really faring any better. All of that hardship, heartache, pain. What was all of that for? What had been the point? A CIA mission? That was it? What did they do now? What did _Steve_ do now?

Danny broke the silence with a deep sigh, ran both hands through his hair and looked at his family.

"I am going to see Grace, and then I am getting some beers. After that, I have no idea but I'll take it one day at a time."

It was still really early, hardly even noon, but everyone silently agreed it was for the best.

"I'm gonna get some waves. Catch you later for those beers," Kono asked, although it wasn't really a question.

"I'll be with Malia for a few hours; I'll met you later."

Steve wasn't really sure what to do. He didn't want to go home just yet, but he couldn't really think of anywhere else to go. He knew he didn't want to be alone, but Chatherine was gone and besides his team there wasn't anyone else really and Steve didn't want to intrude...

Steve was knocked out of his reverie by a gentle nudge of a shoulder. He and Danny stood alone, Chin and Kono already gone.

"C'mon Super SEAL. Grace wanted to go to the park," Danny said, smiling slightly.

Steve tentativly smiled back. It didn't quite feel right, nothing did. He wasn't entriely sure about what to do, if he could let it go now. He knew the likelyhood of seeing Kaye or Wong again were slim to none and he wasn't sure how to process that. Hell, he wasn't sure how to process any of it.

As they walked out, Danny talking about something random only for the sake of normal and Steve not really listening but making a huge effort to do so, because _God_ he wanted to think about _something else_ besides what happened this morning.

While watching Danny and his daughter play with her dog, Steve joining in after Grace turned that expression on him, Steve decided to follow his team's example. he couldn't forget anymore than Chase could, and he still thought 'What in the hell?' but he would take it one day at a time.

Maybe, eventually, that would be enough.

**FIN**

**Black-Angel-001: you may have noticed the absence of lori in this fic...wasn't deliberate at first (when the idea was concieved, she'd merely been a blip on the next time scenes) and after watching her in a few eps, it became deliberate. nothing against lauran german, who plays lori, really, but the character just rubs me wrong. besides, this is supposed to take place a few years from where we are now, and i'd like to think that she won't stick around that long. we can dream, right? on an entirely different sidenote if you are still reading this, 'I Did It My Way' and 'Give All My Secrets Away' will be updated tomorrow. yays! :D**


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